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UNITED STATES WM. MOREHOUSE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AX-HELVE.

Speclcation forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,2 LI, dated April l1,1865.

helve; Fig. 2, a cross section of the extreme.

end which enters the eye of the ax; Fig. 3,

a longitudinal section otl Fig. l 5 and Fig. 4 a4 like section, showingthe helve wedged within the ax.

The object ot' my invention is to so construct an axhelve that it may,without injury, be readily ann securely fastened by the ordinarysoft-wood wed ges in the eye77 of an ax, und yet be removable therefromwhen the ax is worn out, but in such unimpaired condition that it may bein like manner as bel'ore used over and over againl until' the helveitself becomes worn out. To eti'ect this I construct that portion of anordinary helve, A, which is made to enter the eye of an ax, ofa concaveform, as indicated in Fig. l, and designated in Fig. 2 at b b. Alongthis concavity b, which is made upon both sides of the helve, I cut outportions of the helve so as to form transverse sockets, as at c. Thesesockets may be more or less in number, according to the length of thatportion ot' the helve which is intendedl to enter the eye of theimplement to which the helve is to be fastened. These sockets are formedon both sides of the hel ve, along the coneavity b. Thus formed thehelve is inserted inthe eye of the ax D, as indicated in Fig. 4,whereupon wedges e e are driven within the eye upon both sides of thehelve, as represented. These wedges should be of seasoned soft Wood,either pine or white-wood, the latter preferred. They should be shapedsomewhat in the likeness ot' the aperture which they are intended totill, and somewhat longer, so that when driven in the wood of which theyare made will be considerably compressed between the sides of the helveand the eye of the ax. After the wedges e have been driven, asdescribed, the portions of the wedges which are left opposite to thesockets c will, by the tendency of the wood to resume its normaluncompressed condition, expand into the said sockets, .but notsufficient, however, from this cause to ll them; but when thereafter theax is used and exposed to the weather, the seasoned wooden wedges will,by gathering dampness, further expand or swell the wedge so as tocompletely ll said sockets and thus prevent the helve from beingwithdrawn from the eye by any ordinary act ot' use. As the diameter ofthe rear por-tion of the eye of an ax is made somtwhat less than that ofits forward portion, or else has its eye made in concave form, a verysecure fastening is effected by my invention, after the helve `is onceproperly inserted, and this without injury to the axhelve, by splittingits end for the insertion of the wedges, as is usually the case, andwhich splitting ofttimes ruins the helve for use in more than one ax.Besides this, the end ot'- the helve is sometimes, by reason of beingeross'grained, so injured in splitting that it cannot even once besecurely' fastened to an ax.

By my improved helve these ditculties are obviated without anyconsiderable expense over the construction ot' the `ordinary helve, andwhen it is desirable to remove one from an ax, the helve can be drivenout ofthe eye without injury to the hard wood, usually hickory, of whichthe helve is made, and so be used over again in a new ax, as before.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent ot' the United States, is-

1. A helve or handle, A, constructed with sockets c therein,substantially as and for the purpose described. l

2. A helve or handle, A, constructed with a concavity, b, therein,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. So forming ax-helves and other handles that when fastened in the eyesof implements by wedges of wood the wedges will be allowed to expand andswell into recesses or sockets formedin the handles, substantially y asand for the purpose described.

WM. MOREHOUSE. Witnesses:

R. H. DANEORTH, WM. O. FRANCIS.

